


for family

by AtLoLevad



Category: NCIS
Genre: F/M, Family Feels, Fluff, Gen, Mild Angst, Team Family, background tim/delilah
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-18 09:01:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28989645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AtLoLevad/pseuds/AtLoLevad
Summary: Tony and Ziva come back to D.C. to help out Tim and Delilah after Tim was shot.
Relationships: Ziva David & Anthony DiNozzo & Timothy McGee, Ziva David/Anthony DiNozzo
Comments: 2
Kudos: 47





	for family

"How is he?" Ziva asks, resting her chin on Tony's shoulder as he finishes his call with Delilah and sets his phone down on the kitchen table.

Tony's tone is heavy as he reports, "He woke up for a little bit about forty-five minutes ago, but was knocked back out because of the pain." He rubs a hand over his face, dragging the skin down as he shakes his head. "Delilah didn't tell me the whole story but apparently Gibbs shot Tim?"

"I am sure there was a good reason," Ziva hums reasonably, even though her eyebrows draw together in concern. She rubs her hand over Tony's other shoulder, digging the pad of her thumb into a knotted muscle. "It is Gibbs, he rarely does things without reason."

"Still," Tony mutters. "I feel bad for Delilah, she's got to be going through it, with the twins and Tim out of commission now."

Ziva is quiet for a moment, the wheels turning in her head. She turns her head and presses her nose into Tony's neck. "What if," she suggests slowly, "we take some vacation days and go back, help her out. It takes a country, yes?"

"Village," Tony laughs. "But you've got a point. I'm sure everyone back home will be willing to help out, but they've all got jobs. If we take some vacation time, we'd be available whenever Delilah and Tim need us."

"Exactly," Ziva says on a nod, straightening up. "Give her a call, see if she is amenable. I am sure Tali will be happy to boss around the twins."

Both Tony and Ziva laugh at the mental image of Tali taking charge over Johnny and Morgan. Their girl is headstrong to say the least.

Tony grabs Ziva's hand and presses a kiss to her knuckles, squeezing her fingers with his. "Okay, I'll call Delilah in a little bit, see what she thinks. You sure you're up for it?"

"Of course," Ziva dismisses him, running the knuckles of her free hand over the edge of his jaw at the same time. "It has been nearly a year since I saw everyone in person, longer for you. A week or so to help Tim get back on his feet will be nice."

* * *

Two days later, Tony, Ziva, and Tali are landing at Dulles Airport, making their way through customs and taking a detour at baggage claim before meeting Jimmy out on the sidewalk.

"Jimmy!" Tony beams, greeting their friend with a signature smile and a huge hug.

"Good to see you, Tony," Jimmy returns the greeting cheerfully, his glasses slightly askew from the enthusiastic hug. "Ziva!" he turns to her and greets her with equal enthusiasm.

"It is very good to see you again, Jimmy," Ziva says softly, one hand curled protectively over Tali's shoulder. She smiles down at the first-grader. "You remember Uncle Jimmy, my love. You have FaceTimed him with Daddy before."

Tali nods sleepily, her big brown eyes a little unfocused. "Hullo, Uncle Jimmy," she yawns, rubbing a closed fist against one eye.

The adults smile at her and Ziva murmurs, "jet lag," as an explanation, but Jimmy just beams at the girl and greets her with his usual good cheer. "You've gotten so big, Tali. How about we get into the car and you can nap on the drive?"

"Mhmm," Tali hums, leaning her head against Ziva's side. Tony and Jimmy make quick work of the suitcases - Tony grins mischievously at the minivan that Jimmy directs them towards.

"A minivan, Palmer?" he asks, shit-eating grin in full force.

Jimmy corrects him, "A man van! 360-degree cameras, entertainment system, wait until you see all the bells and whistles on this baby."

Ziva rolls her eyes at the discussion, ushering Tali into the backseat and strapping her into what she assumes is Victoria's booster seat. The young girl's head flops back against the headrest and she's snoring softly before Jimmy can even pull away from the curb.

"How is Tim?" Ziva asks quietly, not wanting to wake Tali. She leans slightly forward in her seat so her head is in between the front seats.

"Still in the hospital, but they should be releasing him tomorrow," Jimmy replies, carefully obeying the rules of traffic around the airport. "The shot to his leg hit the femoral artery a bit, there was some damage, but the doctors expect him to make a full recovery."

"What really happened?" Tony asks. "I haven't gotten the full story from Delilah and you know how I feel about a mystery." He's poking at the various buttons on the dash and hits one that causes him to sigh happily and swoon, "heated seats!"

Ziva rolls her eyes affectionately and Jimmy grins, pointing one finger at Tony, "Nice, right?"

"My buns have never been toastier," Tony grins.

"Back to Tim?" Ziva interrupts, a yawn mangling the end of her sentence.

"Oh right," Jimmy shakes his head a bit. "It's a pretty long story, but the gist is that McGee's comms were out when he got onto the tarmac because of a bomb frequency and so Gibbs needed to get his attention so he wouldn't get closer to the plane with the bomb."

"Bomb?!" Tony and Ziva exclaim in simultaneous expressions of surprise.

Jimmy nods. "Yeah, it was on the plane."

"Why was he going to the plane anyway?" Ziva asks, recovering from the bomb surprise.

"Well, we thought Bishop was on the plane," Jimmy says slowly. "So he needed to make the trade for her, while he was pretending to be Fornell."

"Fornell?" Tony's eyebrows scrunch together. "What does he have to do with this?"

"And Eleanor? Why was she on the plane?" Ziva asks.

"Like I said, it's a long story," Jimmy chuckles. "Bishop and Torres can probably explain it better to you tomorrow, but it all really goes back to Emily Fornell's overdose about six months ago."

Tony rubs at his temple while Ziva frowns. There's so much that they've missed. Too much, really.

"I'm so confused," Tony whines. Ziva pats his arm consolingly.

"You are not the only one," she laughs.

Jimmy pulls the car into the parking lot of the hotel that Tony and Ziva booked. "You sure you guys don't want to stay with us, we've got plenty of room and Vic would love to have Tali as a playmate."

"Thank you for the offer, Jimmy," Ziva pats his shoulder. "That is very kind, but we could not impose like that for 10 days."

Both men are already getting out of the car - Jimmy to get the luggage out of the trunk and Tony to lift Tali into his arms. "Oh, it wouldn't be an imposition," Jimmy says kindly. "We'd love the company. If you change your minds at any point, just let me know."

Ziva helps him grab the suitcases and Tony nods, "We will. Right now I think we all just need some sleep."

"Yes," Ziva agrees, smothering a yawn. "Thank you for picking us up, Jimmy."

He waves off her thanks. "Oh, it's no problem. I'm just glad to see you guys again."

Ziva's smile crinkles the corners of her eyes. "We are happy to see you again, too."

"And on that note," Tony grunts as Tali shifts in his arms, digging a knee into his side for purchase, "we'll see you tomorrow, Jim."

"Thank you again, Jimmy," Ziva leans up to press a friendly kiss on Jimmy's cheek. "Please extend our thanks for the invitation to Breena as well."

"You got it," Jimmy nods. "I'll see you guys tomorrow? At the hospital or at the office?"

Ziva shrugs. "We will see how the morning goes with this one," she hikes her thumb over her shoulder in Tony and Tali's direction.

"T's pretty good about adjusting to the situation," Tony says.

With a teasing glint in her eyes, Ziva laughs, "I meant you, not Tali,"

Jimmy laughs and Tony faux-pouts, pretending to walk towards the hotel, leaving Ziva behind. She smiles, "I had better catch up to my children."

"Night, Ziva," Jimmy laughs harder, waving at them.

* * *

"One bullet wasn't enough, McTarget Practice?" Tony shouts cheerfully, pushing an empty wheelchair in front of him as he enters Tim's room.

The look of surprise on Tim's face is comical.

"Tony?" his eyebrows are raised so high they're practically at his hairline.

"In the flesh!" Tony winks.

Tim shakes his head, wincing at the jostling of his arm and leg. "What are you doing here?"

Delilah rolls in behind Tony, a smile that doesn't really reach her eyes plastered on her face. "I needed some help to get you home," she says, faux-cheer barely concealing the anxiety in her tone.

"So you called Tony?" Tim asks incredulously.

"Actually, we called Delilah," Ziva chimes in, poking her head around the doorframe and into Tim's room.

Tim's eyes light up. "Ziva!" he exclaims, a bright smile briefly erasing the lines of pain on his face.

"Hello, Tim," she smiles warmly, reaching out to squeeze his good hand.

"Hey," Tony grumbles, "why'd she get a better greeting than me?"

"Because I am more likeable," Ziva shoots back, baring her teeth in a Cheshire smile. Tony scowls at her, but then puckers his lips in a kiss. Ziva laughs and their antics get a smile from Tim and Delilah as well. Despite the hospital setting, the mood in the room is light, which is exactly what Tony as Ziva had hoped for when the decided to come help the McGees out.

"Likeable or not, I'm glad you guys are here," Tom says sincerely, grunting a little in pain as Tony and Ziva carefully help him into the wheelchair. Ziva smooths her hands over Tim's shoulders, straightening out the seams on his t-shirt. Tim adjusts his foot against the foot rest and winces.

Delilah watches the trio like a hawk, on alert for any abnormal amounts of pain from her husband. "Be careful," she warns, her voice a little shaky. Tim reaches out to squeeze her forearm.

"I'm okay," he promises, giving her a small smile.

"Yeah," Tony chimes in, "it'll take a lot more than a couple of bullets to get McGee down."

Tim gives Tony a tight-lipped smile and jerks his head at the door. "Let's just get out of here, okay?" he sighs.

Tony looks like he's about to say something else, but Ziva rests her hand on his lower back and nudges him gently. He looks down and her and swallows back his comment at the slight raise of her eyebrows. He course corrects to say, "I bet if you ask nicely, Ziva will make macarons. They're like her specialty after being in Paris for so long."

"Or," Ziva laughs, walking alongside Delilah, "I will make whatever Tim and Delilah like best, not you."

* * *

Over the next day and a half, the rest of the team visit McGee to see how he's feeling. Everyone but Gibbs.

Their boss's conspicuous absence doesn't escape Tony and Ziva's notice. All attempts to bring up the topic with Tim result in his eyebrows drawing together and a clipped, "I don't want to talk about it."

In trying to keep the twins' routine as normal as possible, Delilah brings them to daycare before she leaves for work too. Tali ends up joining Victoria Palmer's first grade class, after a chat with the school's principal, so Tony and Ziva end up spending quality time with McGee in the apartment, working through his physical therapy exercises and catching up on everything that had happened since they were last together.

"What I don't get," Tony muses, watching Ziva change Tim's bandages, "is why you still kept going for the plane even after the first shot."

Tim winces as Ziva cleans the wound on his arm with a little antiseptic. He shrugs. "I dunno, Tony," he mutters. "Ellie was in there."

Ziva hums thoughtfully, pressing medical tape over gauze and stepping back from the couch. She perches on the arm of the chair Tony's sitting in and his hand immediately finds the side of their thigh like a magnet. It's a casual gesture, but it's still not lost on Ziva that just about a year ago, it wouldn't even be possible.

"What's with the humming?" he asks, dancing his fingertips over the fabric of her jeans.

Ziva's gaze flicks between Tony and Tim, a slow smile spreading across her face. "It is silly to me that you are confused, Tony. Of course Tim would have gone after Eleanor, when he thought she was in danger."

Both men tilt their heads at her, curious. Ziva laughs and continues, "It is loyalty and we all learned that from the same place." She pauses and looks pointedly at Tim, "From Gibbs."

Tim sighs and his body visibly droops back against the couch. His arm is cradled protectively against his chest. "Yeah, but what's loyal about shooting me twice?" he grumbles.

"You did keep going," Tony points out reasonably.

"For Bishop!" Tim protests.

"Gibbs did what he had to do," Ziva says. "Any of us would have done the same." She pauses. "Have done the same."

A little petulantly, Tim shoots back, "I still don't have to like the fact that he shot me!"

"I did not say that," Ziva shrugs. "I just think that you should talk to him."

Tim's silent for a moment, fingers playing with the ends of the gauze bandage taped to his arm. He drops his head against the back of the couch and stares up at the ceiling. The trio sits in comfortable silence for a while, until Tony's stomach growls.

"Sorry," he grins sheepishly when Tim and Ziva look over at him. "Didn't really eat breakfast this morning, what with trying to get T ready and everything."

Ziva pats his cheek and runs her fingers through his hair. "I will make sandwiches, yes?"

"Yes, please!"

"Thanks, Ziva."

She shakes her head affectionately at the two men before heading off to the kitchen. The men lapse back into silence, listening to Ziva open cabinets and the fridge.

Tim looks over at Tony, frowns and says, "You think I should give Gibbs a call?"

"Up to you, really," Tony replies, scratching at the two-day old stubble on his chin. "He's the one who shot you though, so maybe he's supposed to reach out? I don't know the etiquette."

"I haven't checked my phone, maybe he did," Tim sighs. "Delilah said he seemed really apologetic at the hospital."

"I don't think he meant to do as much damage as he did," Tony leans forward, resting his palms on his knees. "But sometimes the damage can't be helped." His eyes cut over to the kitchen, where Ziva is out of sight. Tim follows Tony's look.

"Are you guys okay?" he asks, eyebrows drawing together in concern. He hasn't spoken with Tony too much in the past year, at least not beyond surface level catch-ups.

Tony nods, looking back at Tim, the corner of his mouth turning up in a small smile. "Yeah, we're good. We weren't for a while in the beginning - turns out a fake death disappearing act and reappearance constitutes trauma. But we worked through it. Point was, Ziva never meant to cause damage or hurt or whatever, but it happened anyway. She did what she thought was best. Another padawan at the feet of Jedi Master Gibbs."

Tim snorts at the Star Wars reference and rubs a hand tiredly over his face. "I'm glad you guys are good. If anyone deserves a little happiness, it's you two and Tali."

"Thanks," Tony replies sincerely. "Don't get too in your head, Tim. From what Jimmy told us, sounds like Gibbs has been having an interesting couple of months. All of you, really."

"You heard about the sturgeon fishing?" An eye roll accompanied Tim's derisive snort.

"No one said the man was creative," Tony grins conspiratorially. "Cover stories were more of our bread and butter, huh."

Narrowing his eyes, Tim shoots back, "Oh yeah. Especially when they include a terrible Jamaican accent."

A loud laugh escapes Tony and he leans back in the arm chair. "Oh, damn, I almost forgot about that. Jenny gave me such shit..." he trails off a little sadly, shaking his head.

After a beat of silence, where they can hear Ziva muttering to herself in the kitchen, Tim kicks out his good leg and knocks his foot against Tony's. "I'm glad you guys came," he admits. "Not just for me. But Delilah's gonna need help and the twins are just a handful right now, terrible twos, and -"

Tony cuts the other man off with a raised hand. "Don't sweat it. Nothing you guys wouldn't do for us, if we needed it," he shrugs. "Unspoken rule, right?"

"You do what you have to do," Tim starts.

"For family," Ziva finishes, bringing a plate of sandwiches into the living room.

**Author's Note:**

> entirely unedited, but i wanted to write and post before the next episode since this will obviously be made au lol. i just love exploring the team dynamics and surprisingly enough, jimmy has become a favorite character to write :) let me know what you think!


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